Titanfall beta “should help” with smooth launch, but Respawn is still concerned

As one of the most anticipated games of 2014, EA and Respawn Entertainment will need to deliver a monster of a game when Titanfall launches in mid-March to match the expectations being set for the pair’s mech-based, military-themed first-person shooter.

Being multiplayer-focussed, part of the problem of delivering on Respawn’s vision for the game will be a smooth roll-out online as hundreds of thousands of players simultaneously swamp the servers – a problem that EA and other publishers have had a very tough time with, highlighted by issues plaguing the launch of SimCity in 2013 in particular.

A recent quick-fire Alpha test for Titanfall would have helped the team learn a few things about what is necessary to keep players playing online, but hearing from participants, it seemed as though even that small test was rife with problems as the servers were taken down and brought back up again. That’s to be expected as the developers look to stress test the capabilities of the servers, tweak settings and try again, but will the participants in the announced Titanfall beta have to endure the same issues?

According to Respawn Entertainment’s Vince Zampella, and following a question put to him on Twitter, the veteran developer is excited about the impending launch of Titanfall but he’s still fearful over what’s to come:

@Pikepointzero yes, but mixed with a bit of fear. We want the launch to be as smooth as possible. Beta should help.

That’s certainly a natural feeling, especially for someone who once stewarded the launches of major Call of Duty games and knows how much excitement is swirling around for Titanfall, but we’re hoping that Respawn and EA are able to use the game’s beta as a definitive test for launch next month to ensure we all have a problem-free time online.

Do you think the team will be able to deliver on launch day?

Titanfall is out on Xbox One, PC and Xbox 360 on March 11th in North America, March 13th in Europe and March 14th in the UK.